Dubai: Radars across the streets of Dubai will soon begin catching tailgaters, said a top official.
The new device called ‘Al Burj radars’ will record motorists who fail to keep a safe distance between other vehicles in the same manner they record speed violations, Dubai Police Chief Maj Gen Khamis Al Mazeina said. He was speaking at the Headquarters of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) on Monday, where he elaborated on upcoming police projects.
At least 29 deaths were recorded in Dubai as a result of tailgating in 15 months across 2013 and 2014, while 22 motorists were killed in Abu Dhabi in 2014 for not keeping a safe distance.
The vitronic ‘Al Burj’ radar, which was introduced on some roads around April 2014, already has the capability to record tailgating violations. However, the function has not been actively used yet and will be activated in the next three months. Tailgaters will be fined Dh400 and given four black points.
“Not maintaining a safe distance between vehicles is one of the main causes of accidents,” Maj Gen Al Mazeina said, “it is one of the leading causes of both minor and severe accidents. In three months, we will have radars across the emirate begin to record tailgating violations in the hope of deterring motorists from this reckless habit.”
Maj Gen Al Mazeina said the required safe distance between vehicles is contingent on the speed limit of roads. “When a motorist is driving at 60km/h, he should leave a distance of at least 50 metres between himself and the car in front of him. What is considered a safe distance increases or decreases in direct proportion to a vehicle’s speed.”
Camera badges
Maj Gen Al Mazeina also commented on the newly announced camera badges, which will have police officers wear small video cameras on their chests. The small devices will be used as a precautionary measure and will record interactions between police officers and civilians.
“Respecting the privacy of our residents is of utmost importance,” he said. “Everything recorded will be streamed to the operation room and be stored in a secure police server.”
Maj Gen Al Mazeina said the camera badges were still in their trial phase and that there was no chance of any recorded material leaking online.
“Even police officers wearing the badge will not be able to do anything with the recorded material,” he said. “The videos will be sent directly to our protected server, eliminating any chance of them leaking through social media channels.”
Culture of excellence
Maj Gen Al Mazeina and Maj Gen Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of the GDRFA, visited the headquarters of the GDRFA in a bid to promote excellence at the workplace, and share experiences between Dubai Police and GDRFA staff.
Maj General Al Mazeina delivered a lecture on the importance of teamwork, which is “an integral factor in order to excel and succeed in any government department”. He also noted the importance of creativity at the workplace, meeting the needs of customers, the development of national cadres and building a culture of excellence.
“Through opinion polls, suggestions, community initiatives and being attentive to complaints, we can meet the needs of the citizens and residents of Dubai.”
Maj Gen Al Merri said: “It is important to regularly hold meetings with leaders of various government departments to continue advancing our services and contributing to a culture of excellence.”